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Monday, 9 April 2012

Author: Vanessa Gray BartalGenre: MysteryType: e-book (Kindle)Series: 1st book in the Lacy Steele mystery seriesSeries Order: see Fantastic FictionFirst Published: September 2011First Line: "Barbara Blake was home, although she had a hard time thinking of the tiny one-horse town of her birth as "home"."

Synopsis: After an emotionally rough couple of years in NYC Lacy has
returned to her hometown to lick her wounds.Due to finances (and a desperate need of some coddling) Lacy moves in
with her beloved grandmother.Unfortunately the highlight of Lacy's life is eating her grandmother's baking. Her social life is practically
non-existent with her only 'social' time being when she heads to the local
coffee shop to take advantage of their free wi-fi.

The excitement in Lacy's life increases dramatically when a local
woman is murdered.When Lacy's
grandmother is considered to be the main (and only) suspect Lacy decides to prove her
grandmother's innocence.As she begins
to delve into the mystery she finds herself having to deal with police officer Jason
Cantor, the handsome former high school quarterback who never noticed the frizzy-haired
band geek that Lacy was in high school.

My Thoughts: When I bought this e-book for a mere 99 cents on my Kindle I
was hoping to find a diamond in the rough and a new cozy mystery series to jump
into.Sadly, sometimes you get what you
pay for.

For me, this book was lacking in all areas.First, the mystery was extremely weak.What sticks out in my mind is the reason for
Lacy's grandmother to be considered a suspect.It was just silly and so far-fetched that it wasn't believable and I was
hoping for another reason to come about as to why this little old lady who
baked for everyone was considered a heinous criminal. Unfortunately that never happened.

Secondly, I'm all for witty, romantic banter between the
main characters (especially a romantic triangle) but I just didn't buy the
romantic tension between Lacy and Jason (or the other male lead). It felt too forced.

Lastly, pretty much the entire cast of characters were clichéd. From the elderly who are enamoured with bran muffins, to the hot quarterback turned police officer, to the 'mean girl' who continued to be nasty after graduation.Then there's Lacy. Dear Lacy. Lacy is
supposed to be this writer from NYC who went from a small town to the big smoke
and has a hard time fitting back into small town life.But to me it feels like she never really grew
up.The way she talks and behaves makes
her come off as a silly teenager who is much too insecure to be enjoyable to
read.

With not much mystery and a cast of sterotypical characters I'd recommend giving this book a pass.My Rating: 2/5 stars

About Me

I am a Canadian Library Assistant and Print Assistant with a compulsion to cook and a serious reading addiction. You will either find me curled up with a good book or whipping up something in the kitchen!
I live in south-western Ontario and have been married to my hubby for 20 years. We have 3 kids -- Boy 1 (17 yrs) old, Boy 2 (16 yrs old) and Missy Moo (13 yrs old) and a mini Schnoodle named Scout.
If you have any books or products that you would like me to review please email me at thebakingbookworm@gmail.com. Companies, please read my Product Review Policy at the top of my blog before emailing me and note that I'm CANADIAN .

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